Well Tubularsock has been so busy that leaving the underground bunker hasn’t been an option. Sure the windows are all clean now but when you are in the position to know EVERYTHING well it just fucking keeps you busy. Have you ever spent some real quality time watching the Matrix? And I’m not talking about the movie here. Tubularsock MEANS the MATRIX!

Now thank the Gods that that Ukraine issue has been settled. The U.S. has helped kill as many Ukrainians as necessary to bring democracy to the Ukraine …. that is exceptionalism, really.

The damn Russians keep voting at the ballot box to break away from Ukraine and return to the Russian State but the international community (you know, the U.S. and Europe) say voting is against international law and won’t honor the votes taken.

But the U.S. and Europe all agree that overthrowing a democratically elected Ukraine and then hand picking the new leader, Arseniy Yatsenyuk works well with international law. Funny how that works.

So often what would appear to be the opposite as it should be is the way it is projected to be …………. now who would question that?

But enough summary. What Tubularsock wishes to focus on is that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter has joined the board of directors of Ukrainian gas firm Burisma Holdings Ltd.

Now, Tubularsock knows what you are thinking. This is all being set up because Who’s-Your-Daddy-Hunter is the son of the Vice President of the United States of America.

Well, there’s more. Hunter’s appointment came a few weeks after Devon Archer. Both Hunter and Devon are part of the investment firm Rosemont Seneca Partners which are affiliated with Rosemont Capital, a private-equity firm. *****Think Carlyle Group. You remember the private-equity firm that the Bush family and the Saudi Royal family made so much money with during the Iraq war.******

Alittle side note: Rosemont Capital private-equity firm was co-founded by Devon Archer and Christopher Heinz, Secretary of State John Kerry’s stepson and heir to H.J. Heinz Co. ketchup family.

Wars seem to be good for private-equity firms. Especially if you are on an inside track. Now isn’t that interesting?

Now Devon Archer was a mover-and-shaker-fund-raiser for John Kerry and served as co-chair of the national finance committee for Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign. He also just happened to be Christopher Heinz, Kerry’s stepson college roommate.

What a small world.

Now I know what you are thinking. This is all being set up because Who’s-His-Step-Daddy’s-Friend-Devon is the “friend” of the stepson of the Secretary of State of the United States of America.

Well, there’s more.

Now the timing of Hunter’s appointment seems to fit in close to Joe Biden’s visit to the Ukraine and it just happens that Joe is going to drop by Cyprus for a visit as well. Funny that Cyprus, according to Businessweek is where Burisma Holdings Ltd. is officially located.

But don’t fret!The real truth is “As a new member of the board, I believe that my assistance in consulting the company on matters of transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities will contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine,” Hunter Biden said regarding his new appointment.

Well there you have it. It’s all explained now ……… let’s go back to sleep.

Tubularsock is all for transparency so it might be interesting to look just a little deeper at Hunter. You know, for the fun of it.

Hunter Biden’s business activities had attracted attention while he worked as a lobbyistwhen his father was a U.S. Senator and those “business activities” came under scrutiny at that time.

When Barack Obama was a Senator he sought more than $3.4 million in earmarks for clients of Hunter Biden, and succeeded in getting $192,000 for St. Xavier University near Chicago, according to public disclosure records.

Hunter Biden gave up his partnership in his Washington lobbying firm after his father became Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008.

The Wall Street Journal in the early part of 2009 reported that Hunter Biden and his uncle had run a fund of funds that was being marketed exclusively by Texas financier R. Allen Stanford’s companies.

Funny thing there was that Mr. Stanford later was sentenced to 110 years in prison for masterminding a $7 billion Ponzi scheme.

The Wall Street Journalalso reported at the time that Biden’s lawyer said the fund terminated the relationship and offered to return $2.7 million in investment that companies controlled by Mr. Stanford had given the fund. He said the Bidens had never met Mr. Stanford.

But hey, business is business so all that is just cash under the bridge.

Now really, Tubularsock hates to tell you but once you open up the gas valve well …….

there’s more!

Just why are these guys interested in Burisma Holdings Ltd. anyway, except for of course, to “. . . contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine”?

Well that is pretty obvious.

“Burisma is a private oil and gas company founded in 2002, under joint activity agreements with Ukrainian state-owned producers, and quickly grew to become the largest private gas producer in Ukraine. The company’s average daily output stood at 10.5 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day in September 2013, and could double that figure within two years. All of the company’s gas is sold to industrial customers in Ukraine.” (International Business Times)

Burisma is a sitting duck when it comes to future profit in natural gas. The Ukraine’s largest energy source is natural gas accounting for 38 percent of total primary energy production during 2011.

At the moment the Russian gas company Gazprom currently satisfy most of Ukraine’s energy needs. Russia has recently stated that the Ukraine will have to pay for their natural gas needs in advance in cash if they want further deliveries.

Remember Gazprom also provides something in the range of 40% of Europe’s natural gas needs.

Therefore for Ukraine to reduce it’s dependency of natural gas from Russia in the future Burisma is well-positioned to boost its share of the domestic market.

And when Gazprom backs off the cost of natural gas will increase and who stands to gain in profit from that? Let’s be clear ……. not the Ukrainian people!

HEY, SOME DIE, SOME PROFIT. BUSINESS AS USUAL. THANK YOU AMERICA.

And to get even more convoluted Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La) the head of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has said that instability in Ukraine makes the case for building the Keystone XL oil pipeline in the United States. Sure it does ……..

“Americans look at what’s happening in Russia and Ukraine — I think it sends shivers up their spine and it should,” said Landrieu, who accused European countries of being “timid” in confronting President Vladimir Putin over Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, a former Soviet bloc state. (AP)

Well the only “shivers up their spine”Americans should have is the level of bull shit Mary is shoveling for the oil companies! But Landrieu also argued that the need for energy independence in the United States is greater than ever but neglected to explain that the KeystoneXL oil pipeline is for oil export NOT for domestic use. So the only people that will profit from it are NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

So what we have in the Ukraine is the new oligarchs’ playground and the people that will bear the hurt and the loss are the Ukrainian people while the profit will all be concentrated in the hands of the few.